Taken
by Infinite Devil Machine
Summary: After a long delivery, Cloud plans to surprise Tifa by coming home early. But when he gets back, he gets a little surprise himself.
1. Missing

Randomly inspired. May continue. Not sure... If i don't get reviews, I won't. .

**Disclaimer:** No. I don't. Simple as that.

He didn't know why it bothered him so much. She could definitely take care of herself. He knew that all to well. There was just something about leaving Tifa alone to take care of two kids _and _run a bar that simply didn't sit well with him. That, and... He missed her when he was gone. Of course, the long and lonely deliveries he made didn't help the matter. And Fenrir wasn't much of a travel companion either.

Cloud had been gone longer than usual. He'd been called to deliver an important package to some remote city hundreds of miles away. Tifa sighed. Why did he have to leave so much? She knew running a delivery service would mean he'd have to leave a lot, but why couldn't he do local jobs? His deliveries were getting longer and longer, the last couple taking almost two weeks. And the worst part was, she'd always just smile and wave as he left. It was usually only a few minutes after he left, when the crushing loneliness would start to set in. Thankfully, Marlene and Denzel were already in bed. She wouldn't have to explain why Cloud had left again until morning.

Tifa looked around the bar with weary eyes. She had polished every glass she owned until it was spotless. And now, she had nothing to do. She sighed and sat down in a chair, resting her head in her hands. Today had left her exhausted, but she wasn't ready to go to bed. She really just didn't want to. The notion of going back to bed alone again, thoughts of Cloud and whether or not he was okay running circles in her restless mind... She didn't want to go through another night like that. Suddenly she heard a floorboard creak behind her, her whole body going rigid. In one graceful movement, she was scanning the darkness behind her, fists raised. Hearing another creak on the other side of the room, she whipped around again, eyes searching frantically for who or what was in the bar with her. There was a sudden blinding pain in the back of her head, and then Tifa's whole world went black. A third board creaked as her limp body fell to the floor.

Cloud smiled as he realized he was only a few hours away from home. He guessed he would be home by around midnight. He had managed to get home quicker by taking a different route and for once was going to be home a day early. His smile faded slightly. _'Tifa'll sure be surprised...' _He felt a sudden wave of guilt. He always felt bad when he left her for so long. But it was a _delivery service. _He couldn't take jobs closer to home. In the tiny, isolated town of Midgar people only had someone deliver a package if it was going somewhere far away. If is was someone who lived nearby, they'd just walk it over themselves. Cloud's thoughts wandered as Fenrir thundered it's way back home. He ran a tired hand through his windblown hair. When he got home, he was definitely taking some time off.

Marlene awoke with a start, hearing a door close downstairs. _'Cloud's home!' _She listened carefully, waiting to hear the voices. None came. She stuck her jaw out defiantly as she realized Cloud and Tifa were going to sneak up on _her_. Falling back onto the bed pretending to be sleeping still, Marlene wondered vaguely if Tifa and Cloud could read her mind. They had stolen her ideas like that before. And how had they known she and Denzel where the ones sneaking candy from the jar? She yawned widely, and it didn't take long before she was soundly asleep again.

Outside, Tifa had been thrown in the back of a car, her wrists bound tightly behind her. A burly man walked around to the front and after tossing in the 2x4, his weapon of choice, sat down and started the engine. He grinned at the image of Tifa in the backseat. Adjusting his mirror for a better view, he chuckled to himself. The boss was going to be happy with this find. Calloused fingers gripped the steering wheel, and the man left town in the cover of the night.


	2. Arrangements

I got 5 reviews on the opening chapter, and felt like I should continue this. BUT... I want more reviews this time around. P And big thanks to Jojo for helping me out of horrible writer's block. Like Taken? Go read Better Than Me, by CorvusCaminus. ; D

It was just after one in the morning when Cloud cut Fenrir's engine and headed back to the front of the bar. The full moon cast an eerie glow on the building. Groping for his keys, he slowly approached the old oak door. As the key slid into the hole, he wondered idly if Tifa was still awake. When he didn't hear the familiar metallic sound of the latch sliding open, his initial confusion was immediately replaced with overwhelming panic. The door was already unlocked. Forcing himself to calm down, he pushed the door open and cautiously stepped inside.

Telling himself it had only been a careless mistake, Cloud looked around the bar. Tifa had probably just gone to sleep and forgotten to lock the door, he told himself. The voice in the back of his head strongly told him otherwise. Tifa wasn't one to be careless. He quietly made his way up the stairs. Turning the knob slowly so as not to make too much noise, he looked in the kid's room. They were both soundly asleep with the sheets tangled around them. He closed the door again, only somewhat relieved. He made his way across the hall to Tifa's room. Panic rose again. Her door was open, and her bed still made. Tifa wasn't in the house.

He quickly came back down the stairs, searching the bar for any sign of where she had gone. He found nothing, not even a note. And then, he saw the blood on the floor. His eyes went wide, barely registering what this implied. Swallowing hard, he realized what had happened. Tifa had been attacked, and by the looks of it, kidnapped or worse... Cloud didn't let himself finish the thought. He ran back outside and looked frantically around the yard. Just as he had suspected, there were muddy tire tracks cut deep in the grass. And for the second time in his life, Cloud was thankful for the heavy rain.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of town, a small black car was making it's way deeper into the night. Driving the car was a heavy set man named Ace. He had now driven a good half hour, and was far from the bright lights of the city. He reached for his cell phone. The Boss had said he would call with further instructions, but he hadn't done so. And until the Boss called, Ace had little idea of what he was supposed to do with his 'cargo', much less where to go with her. He glanced back at Tifa bound in the backseat. As if on cue, the phone rang, startling him out of his thoughts. He flipped it open.

"Ace?" The man on the other end had a thick accent, although Ace couldn't quite place it. His voice was cold like steel.

"Yeah Boss?" Ace tried to hide the hint of intimidation in his voice. He had heard many stories about the Boss, and if any of them were _close _to being the truth, this was not a man you wanted displease.

"Did you get the girl?"

Ace nodded a quick affirmative, and then reddening slightly stammered a "Yes, Sir." The Boss then gave him directions to a small inn where they would be meeting. It was a good three hours away. Before he could acknowledge him, the line went dead. He swallowed hard. He had never spoken to the Boss directly before, and it was not something he looked forward to doing again. And now he'd be meeting him in person. He didn't like the sound of that.

Back in Seventh Heaven, Cloud was starting to panic. 'Tifa could be anywhere by now,

and who knows how long she's been gone...' His thoughts ran in endless circles of guilt. If only he had gotten home sooner. Or... never left her alone in the first place. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he focused on the task at hand. He had to find Tifa. As he stepped back outside, a feeling of desperation came over him. Throughout his entire life, Cloud had seemed destined to fail. He suddenly stood a little straighter, his eyes filling with a hard determination that rivaled granite. He was not going to fail again.


	3. The Meeting

Sorry for the slight delay, I had a bit of writer's block again and our cable kept going out so our computer didn't work. Ugg. So, here goes, Chapter 3!

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own FFVII. Surprising, aint it?...

Even though it was the middle of the night, a bead of sweat found it's way down Ace's cheek. He was getting nervous. Having been in the car with Tifa for several hours now, he had really been thinking about his situation. The Boss's orders had been to go to the bar and kidnap this girl, planning to use her as a bargaining chip of some sort. Ace figured he wanted something from Cloud, the man who had apparently been living with Tifa. Still puzzling, Ace realized something else. The Boss was _afraid _of this 'Cloud'. Ace hadn't known the Boss for very long, but he had been able to learn a few things about the man. One of the first things he noticed, was that the Boss was a very straightforward guy. When he wanted something, he got it, he didn't mess around with other things first. Like taking Tifa. That wasn't like him. But neither was being afraid.

Back around the bar, a thin shadow was snaking its way around, intent on not being seen. The man was another underling of the Boss, and he had been given a very important mission. Get inside the Seventh Heaven, plant a note where it would be easily found, and get back out without being noticed. The man may not have amounted to much in the Boss's eyes, but this was a job he was completely capable of pulling off. He was no stranger to stealth. Before coming to the Boss, spying and secret infiltration had been his life's career. And the Boss didn't care. But he was going to prove himself. So this mission would have to go perfectly. He was going to be a key part in the take down of the great Cloud everyone has heard so much about. He swelled with a sense of pride as he picked the lock and carefully went inside.

The note was simple enough. A short message on a plain sheet of paper. No magazine letter cutouts or big unrecognizable block letters, but hand written in thin cursive. And at the bottom, the Boss had even stamped it with his own personal insignia. Apparently, this was something big, even for the Boss. And that, was something the man wasn't going to screw up on. He shook his head. He needed to focus on the mission at hand, not why it was so important. He quickly laid the note on the main table in the bar and left, locking the door back behind him. He smiled to himself. One mission down flawlessly, and one more to go. He decided he'd better go home and rest up. The second mission was going to be much more difficult.

After a long while, Cloud had reluctantly decided to go to sleep and look for Tifa in the morning. As much as he wanted to go, he couldn't. The kids were still sleeping, blissfully unaware of what had happened, and he couldn't just abandon them and go off on a wild goose chase for Tifa. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he had no ideas as to where she had been taken. That, and, he admitted to himself, he hadn't slept properly in days. So finally, he had committed to a fitful sleep.

Four hours had passed before he gave up and got out of the bed. Half awake, he made his way back down the stairs to try to find something to eat. His mind was screaming at him to go look for Tifa or figure out what had happened to her...Something! But his stomach had insisted that food was more important if he wanted to think properly. As he moved toward the kitchen, something caught his eye. There, on the kitchen counter top as if by magic, was a small paper note. He reached over and picked it up with careful hands. His eyes traced over the smooth cursive and then paused before reading the note again. All color left his face.

_The church. Midnight. Tomorrow._

_Come alone._

_We have the girl._

_Cooperate, and she'll live._

At the bottom of the note was a small symbol in red ink. He didn't recognize it, so he simply dismissed it as a random gang sign.It was thewordshe was more concerned with. Terrible thoughts ran circles through his mind. _Some gang has Tifa. Cooperate? What do they want from me? Where is she! _It was all giving him a massive headache. And... Something deeper. An aching feeling slowly came over him. He recognized it from times in his past. It was the loneliness. Tifa had been the one great thing in his life for many years, and now that she was gone, he could really feel just how much he _needed _her. He reminded himself of the promises he had made to her. He would do _anything_, as long as Tifa didn't get hurt.

Ace had finally made it to the tiny inn where he was supposed to meat the Boss. He was more than a little nervous. And now, he had a problem. What was he supposed to do with the girl in his car? He couldn't just lug her inside! But, he also couldn't leave her in the car where she could be seen. He argued with himself for a while and then finally just threw a blanket over her unconscious form, hoping it wasn't as obvious as he thought it was. Wiping his forehead, he headed for the door.

The inside of the inn was not anything out of the ordinary, it was just like most other inns he had seen. Not too shabby, but not overly showy either. It had a nice homey feel to it. At small coffee table near the back sat a lone man in a dark suit. He had thick black glasses and a thin cigarette. Ace looked around to make sure no one was watching them, and then made his way over to the man. As he approached, the man smiled, nearly stopping Ace dead in his tracks. This _couldn't_ be the Boss. He warily came to a stop next to the man who still wore a cheery expression. Seeing Ace's confusion, he explained that he would be representing the Boss for this meeting. Apparently, the Boss had more important business elsewhere and had sent this man to meet with him instead.

"And, what was your name again?" Ace asked awkwardly. He didn't remember the man introducing himself.

"Not important." I don't think we'll be meeting again anytime soon, and the Boss told me to only tell you what was absolutely necessary.

And so, in the back of a nameless inn, Ace learned what exactly the Boss what planning, and why it was so important that things go _exactly _as planned. This would be no easy task.

Half an hour later, still somewhat shocked at what the Boss was trying to pull off, Ace made his way back to his car. He took the blanket off of Tifa's unconscious form and placed it freshly folded under the passenger seat. For the second time that night, he drove away completely unaware of where he would be going next, and what he was really taking part in.


End file.
